Reviews

The Circle by Somerset Maugham is one of those dated stories of adultery among the upper classes of England where no one behaves much like a recognizable human being (see Maugham's charming and more satisfying The Constant Wife). This stage to screen adaptation succeeds more than expected, largely because of intelligent direction by Frank Borzage and a great performance by supporting player Eugenie Besserer. Lead actress Eleanor Boardman is a beauty but at a disadvantage in a story that cannot take advantage of her naturalistic style. The real reason to see this movie is the terrific performance of Eugene Besserer as Lady Catherine, who ran away from her marriage 30 years before and is only now being reunited with her adult son (her younger self is played, fleetingly, by Joan Crawford). Brought back to the estate to see if "forbidden love" can endure, she sails back in as an aging flapper in a bountiful blonde wig. A confrontation with a photo of her younger self gives her the oppotunity for a bit of pathos, which she exploits beautifully. Besserer would earn a place in history a few years later as Al Jolson's mother in the groundbreaking sound film, The Jazz Singer, in which Jolson improvised the first dialogue heard in film in a scene with her. The Circle manages some nifty physical comedy, such as the scene where the concerned family is steathily trying to separate their father from his shotgun. Many a scene like this depends on the style of the play -- stiff upper lip and so forth -- so modern audiences may be a bit puzzled. And even more puzzled by Boardman's character loving her man because he threatens to punch her in the eye.

Marian Marsh radiates intelligence and charm as the focal point of this lightweight romantic drama. She and her suitor, William Bakewell, (slightly prissy and stiff but looking like he was carved out of marble) meet not so cute -- he runs her down in his speeding car. The title character played by Christian Rub is a hospital clerk who is a sucker for sob stories. Persuading the driver not to confess to his crimes but woo the girl instead, he sets events in motion. After falling in love over Marsh's hospital bed, the lovers run into obstacles. She is an aspiring musician who was on her way to to accept her rich patron's offer of support, sans marriage, when she was convenently run down (and suffers no aches or pains afterward despite being brought into the hospital unconscious). He comes from a high society family that will not accept her. Edmund Breese is impressive as the hero's easy-going father. Owen Moore is second-billed in the part of Marsh's rich patron-to-be, but he has only a few scenes, which he discharges with freeze-dried wordliness and substantial lockjaw. The early hospital scenes are full of ethnic and sexual stereotypes and some lame attempts at comedy, but they do communicate well the atmosphere of the hospital receiving room, tedium and all. The apparently Jewish landlord of Marsh's building is another matter: a very offensive stereotype. Mildred Washington is delightful in her few moments as a pre-Code housekeeper (you can date the moment the Joseph-Breen-led Code came down in late 1934 by when slim, attractive black actresses were banished from the screen).

What set itself up as a mild spoof of "where no man has gone before" shows got a serious case of, well, the "seriouses," as if Quark combined itself with Silent Running. Seth McFarlane is problematic as the lead. You want to root for him and his unpretentious charm, but action hero is not a good look for him. He comes off as sanctimonious. The tone shifts are just too hard to take. Don't ask me to laugh at a practical joke and then cut to the scene where the first officer is being slapped bloody by a captor. Unh uh......

Just when you have tired of the fast cross-cutting, the obvious use of dancing doubles and the auto-tuning, just when you start to think of The Greatest Showman as a movie you can crack wise during, Rebecca Ferguson will start to sing her power ballad. And you will be nudged into the musical's world. Or so you think. Because here comes the amazing Keala Settle with an anthem on pride that will SHOVE you, lock, stock and barrel, into The Greatest Showman's world, and you will never look back. So what if Barnum's adorable kids never age in 5 years? So what if Zac Efron can't dance? This movie tries way too hard, especially in the first half hour, but it will win you over.

Secret Service is a treat for acting students or any fan of the principal actors. This Phoenix Rep revival (it's first since the author's last performance 60 years previous) may have been inspired by the success of the Sherlock Holmes revival starring John Wood, which played on the West End and Broadway with great success in 1974 (both plays written by and starring William Gillette). Nothing will disguise the old-fashionedness of Secret Service, but luckily this company doesn't try -- they embrace it with great humanity. Meryl Streep charms in a seldom-seen "girly" part, which she plays with her trademark intelligence. We also get to hear her lovely legit soprano in an interval. Even more delicious is Mary Beth Hurt, sans glasses, equal parts minx and steel magnolia. Her spin on the soubrette part is original and makes a "stock" character glow with life. John Lithgow embodies the noble hero with his interesting physicality and intensity. There's a bit too much angst and staring into the middle distance, but it's pretty much written in. One suspects that live audiences would get a lot of laughs out of the creaky storyline and intermittent stylized posturing. Charles Kimbrough nearly inhales his own moustache as the most dastardly of villains, coming right up to the parody line but never crossing it. Alice Drummond is sweetness and endurance as the mother; and Don Scardino brings brio to the young brother, eager to fight. A youthful, thin Jeffrey Jones pops up as an effortlessly confident guard. In a small role, the excellent Roy Poole vigorously reminds us of all those southern patriarchs in Gone With The Wind. Warning: this play from 1896 uses the N-word several times and no one seems to care that the black servant (David Harris) is roughed up by the rebels. It may not have been a fun experience for the black actors, but Louise Stubbs wrings every bit of sass and vinegar out of her brief role as a house servant who stands up to Kimbrough. Acting teachers -- have your students watch this for lessons on how to combine style with inner life. Enjoy!